WASHINGTON, DC – E-cigarettes, and liquid refill containers featuring bright colors, sweet-smelling flavors and dangerous doses of nicotine, are generating rising numbers of emergency calls to poison control centers around the nation, according to a study published today by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The study demonstrates the urgent need for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to assert authority over e-Cigarettes and other tobacco products.

Responsibly marketed and properly regulated, it is possible that e-cigarettes could benefit public health if they help significantly reduce the number of people who use conventional cigarettes and die of tobacco-related disease. But in the absence of FDA oversight, the easy availability of nicotine in uncontrolled quantities, packaging and flavors and marketing that appeals to youth raises serious concerns.

As reports regarding adverse health effects following e-cigarette exposure rise, it becomes ever more troubling that the FDA and the federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB) have yet to release a proposed regulation to bring some oversight to the e-cigarette marketplace. FDA officials submitted their recommendations to the OMB six months ago.

Despite the fact that nicotine is toxic, e-cigarette liquids come in child-friendly flavors and colors. Nicotine liquids are sold in rainbows of brightly-colored containers with flavors including “vivid vanilla,” “cherry crush,” chocolate, Jolly Rancher, Gummy Bear and Bubble Gum. Because e-cigarettes and their nicotine liquids are unregulated, there are no federal requirements that they include safety warnings or child-proof packaging.

The American Association of Poison Control Centers has issued an alert on the devices and associated e-liquid supplies, urging “vapers” to take strong precautions to keep the materials in a secure place.